Does It?
by glasswrks
Summary: How Willow and Tara may have met, if not for Hush.


**Does It?**

By A.M. Glass

**Copyright:** March 19th, 2000.

**REVISED Copyright:** March 22, 2000

**Rating:** 'PG' for context, not contents.

**Disclaimer:** Joss Whedon, Fox Studios, Mutant Enemy, et al, have something to do with _"Buffy The Vampire Slayer"_. No copyright infringement is intended or inferred. The story is the sole property of the author, me.

**Author's Note:** This is just my take on one of the many ways Tara and Willow could have met had _Hush_ not happened, or had they not been in the same Wicca group.

**SPECIAL NOTE:** I didn't like how the story read, so I went back and made a few corrections, this is what happens when you don't have a beta reader.

* * *

Tara woke with a smile on her face, it didn't surprise her as much as it used to. She now had a reason to smile, and as she thought of the reason, her smile faltered. Shoving aside the negative thoughts that tried to ruin her morning, she rushed to get ready for her first class. _'There she is,'_ she said to herself as she watched the attractive young redhead come down the stairs. She was talking animatedly with a blonde, Tara didn't know what they were to each other, but it was obvious to her eyes that they were close. She was able to catch a few words before they left from her sight. _'Her voice is so much like her,'_ Tara thought.

It was light, airy, in a word, wonderful.

Tara hurried to her next class, hoping that she might have a chance to see the other girl again, even if in passing.

* * *

"Oh... I'm... I'm sorry," Tara said after colliding with someone as she rushed out of the library.

"That's okay."

"Let me help you with that," Willow said as she began to pick up the books the other girl had dropped.

"It's... it's my fault," Tara replied, without looking up as she groped for the books, her heartbeat sped up. She was petrified that her feelings, her emotions would show in her face.

"It was an accident."

"Still..."

Their hands touched as they reached for the same book. Tara could feel it, a jolt of some kind. It wasn't unpleasant, and she wondered if the other girl had felt it as well, or was it just wishful thinking on her part.

* * *

Willow had been walking into the library when she collided with another girl on her way out. The girl kept trying to apologize for the accident, and she had been just as insistent that it had been just that... an accident. She was in the process of helping the girl; who's face she hadn't seen as of yet, as a curtain of hair kept her features hidden, when reaching for the same book, their hands touched. At first she wasn't sure what had happened. She had felt... something.

_'Come on Rosenberg, it's probably nothing,'_ she said to herself.

* * *

Tara looked up and into the face of the person that made her smile. Picking up the rest of her books, she stood up and watched as the other girl did the same.

"I've... I'm... I'm... I've gotta go," Tara said as she quickly left.

_'I wonder what that was about?'_ Willow thought to herself as she watched the other girl run across the campus lawn. "Oh well," she said out loud as she turned and entered the library.

* * *

"Could I be **any** more idiotic?" Tara said as she arrived at her dorm room. As she opened the door, she placed her books and bag down. "She must think I'm... I'm... a... a... something," she said to herself as she closed the door. Taking a few cleansing breaths, she let her mind wander. Soon a picture formed in her mind, one that she could look at as much as she desired. She saw the redhead and wanted nothing more than to be with her. She could just imagine them together, holding hands and feeling the connection that neither of them could deny.

She wouldn't dare think about what the other girl's lips felt like, to do that would only drive her to distraction. Walking over to her bed, she laid down, linking her hands together, she placed them on her stomach. She closed her eyes and smiled. She wondered what the redheaded beauty was up to at this very moment.

* * *

Willow got the book she needed from the library and headed to the Grotto. Granted it wasn't the best place to study, but she knew that Buffy would want to have some privacy with Riley. Getting a cola, she sat down on one of the empty couches and began to read. After she realized that she had read the same paragraph six times and still had no idea what she had read, she closed the book.

She couldn't explain it, but she found that her thoughts were preoccupied. Not by school, her parents, or things that go bump in the night. Or even the few things that went bump during the day. She was surprised to find that she kept replaying the events that happened earlier in the afternoon.

Or more specifically, in front of the library...

Or to get right down to it, the girl she'd bumped into.

She didn't have any idea why she was thinking about the girl. Of course, it could have been because of the tingling sensation she'd felt when their hands touched oh-so-briefly. She'd never seen anyone **so** nervous before... well, except for Xander and herself. And she was trying to do something about it.

"Why was she **so** nervous?" she muttered softly.

Knowing that she wasn't going to finish reading, Willow put the book into her bag and headed out of the Grotto. It was a nice evening and as she walked back towards her dorm, her thoughts turned briefly to Oz and how he was doing. She had finally moved on, the pain wasn't as fresh or as encompassing as it used to be.

Willow had noticed that she had been noticing certain guys on campus, but she inevitably pushed them to the side.

_'Window shop all you want,'_ she told herself as she neared Stevenson's Hall.

Just as she was about to enter the dorm, she thought she caught a glimpse of the girl she had bumped into earlier.

* * *

Her stomachs' loud protest made her realize that she hadn't eaten all day, except for the yogurt she'd managed to snack on before her second class. So, grabbing a few dollars, Tara headed for the Quick Snack, which was located nearby. After buying a sandwich, she decided to take a walk. It was such a beautiful night out, she thought it might be nice to eat under the stars.

Finding a bench, she sat down. Taking her sandwich out of the bag, she was peeling off the cellophane when she heard a sound that startled her so badly that her sandwich flew from her hands and fell to the ground.

* * *

Willow decided to walk over to where the girl was sitting, she had just arrived as the girl opened her sandwich.

"Um... hi. I hope..." the rest of her words died on her lips as she watched the sandwich fly from the other girl's hands and land on the ground. "Oh... gosh... I'm... oh... I'm so sorry."

* * *

Tara couldn't believe her luck. First she had bumped, literally, into the redhead at the library and now, against all odds, they run into each other as she was attempting to have her dinner.

Either this was someone's idea of a sick joke, or she was the luckiest person on the planet.

"It's... it's okay," she said as she retrieved the mess that had had every intention of being her dinner.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Willow told the other girl.

"Don't worry about it," she said as she tossed the sandwich in a nearby trash can.

"Oh... wow. I ruined your dinner..." Willow said.

"I wasn't really hungry anyway. I'd... I'd better go," Tara replied as she started to leave.

"Wait!"

Tara stopped. Willow walked towards the other girl.

"At least I could buy you something to eat," she said.

"No... um. You don't have to, really," Tara replied wanting nothing more than to leave. Being in the redhead's presence made her entire body tingle.

"I insist," Willow answered, her infamous resolve face set firmly into place, after hearing the other girls' stomach rumble.

"Oh... okay," Tara acquiesced after seeing the intense look on the redhead's face.

"Great. Umm, where would you like to go?" Willow asked.

"Doesn't really matter."

"All right, why don't we go to the student cafe?"

"Do you think it's still open?"

"Good point. How about the Grotto?"

"The Grotto?"

"You've never been there?"

Tara shook her head.

"Well, I think it's time you went. Let's go," Willow said.

"Is it far?"

"No, it's... it's about five minutes away."

"Okay."

"Great."

Willow took the lead and started walking. She kept thinking back on their initial meeting and running into her again. Of course she could be putting too much into it. UC Sunnydale wasn't exactly a huge campus, and they were bound to run into each other sooner or later... it just happened to be sooner.

"You know, I don't know you're name," Willow said as they walked along.

"It's Tara."

"Tara... that's nice. I'm Willow."

"Hello Willow," she said. _'Willow,'_ she sighed.

"So, what are you studying?" Willow asked.

* * *

"That... was nice," Tara said as they exited the Grotto.

"Yeah it was. Maybe we could do this again? Not the part where I make your dinner fly from your hands part, but, you know... get together?"

"Really? You'd wouldn't mind?" Tara said, not quite believing that _Willow_ would actually want to do anything with her.

"Sure, why not?"

"I'd... I'd like that," Tara replied.

"You know Tara, it's getting late. Why don't I walk with you to your dorm, you know. Safety in numbers."

"Oh... that's okay. You don't need to."

"I'd like to, if you don't mind?" Willow hoped that Tara wouldn't refuse. After being with Buffy for so long, she knew what lurked in the shadows, and the thought that something might happen to her new found friend bothered her.

It wasn't as if she wouldn't have offered in the first place, but she knew that until she had mastered some magicks, she was mainly research girl. Not that she minded, ok she did. But she also knew that her job was just as important to Buffy's safety and well-being as well, almost anyone else's.

But this was different somehow, she wanted to be able to protect Tara. And she knew she could, granted she had a tiny arsenal on her, consisting of a stake, crucifix and a bottle of holy water which assured her that she could handle almost any situation should it arise.

_'Hopefully nothing will happen,'_ she thought to herself as she waited on Tara's decision.

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?" Tara asked.

"No, I'd really like to," she answered honestly.

"OK then," Tara said as she led the way to her dorm.

* * *

"Here we are," Tara told Willow as they approached the building.

"Okay, well... I guess I'll see you later," Willow said, finding that she didn't want the time she had spent with Tara to end.

"I guess so. Tha... thanks for walking me... and for dinner."

"No problem."

"Good night then," Tara said.

"Good night Tara," Willow replied, as she turned to leave.

"Um... here," Tara said as she looked for a scrap of paper, finding a piece she wrote her telephone number on it and handed it to Willow. "In... in case you want to call... or something," she said.

As Willow took the slip of paper, their hands touched again. They both looked at each other, there was no denying that something had occurred.

"I'd... I'd better go," Willow finally said, gesturing behind her.

"Yeah... um... Willow? Could... would... would you call me... when you got back to your room? Just... just so that I know you're okay?"

"Sure I will. Bye."

"Bye Willow." Tara didn't think she'd ever tire of saying Willow's name.

Tara stood by the entrance to her dorm and waited until Willow was out of sight before entering the building and heading for her room. A smile came to her face, the redheaded beauty had a name: _Willow_. Then it dawned on her how she must have sounded earlier.

"Oh...no. _'Call me when you get to your room.'_ What is she going to think?" she said to herself as she went inside her room.

* * *

"That was sweet of her," Willow said out loud, as she hurried to her dorm room.

It had been awhile since anyone, besides Buffy, Xander or Giles had been concerned about her. Yes, for a time Oz had, but that was in the past.

And she admitted to herself, it felt nice to know that someone did again.

She still wondered about the slight tingling sensation they both experienced when they touched.

_'Hmm... static?'_ she didn't really think so.

* * *

"Hey Will, where were have you been?" Buffy asked as soon as Willow had entered the room.

"Oh... I had dinner with someone.."

"You went out on a date, all right. It's about time. You'll have to tell me all about it when I get back, Giles is waiting and I was about to send out the troops for you. See ya later," she said as she left.

"Wait!"

By the time her legs responded to the command to get to the door, Buffy was long gone.

"She thinks I went out on a date," Willow said out loud.

The more she thought about her evening with Tara, the more she realized that she had gone out on a date of sorts.

"I mean, it was only Tara. It wasn't as if I went out with a guy," she told herself as she got ready for bed. "Just because I offered to buy her dinner doesn't make it a date, does it?"

She remembered she had to call Tara and let her know she arrived, she didn't want the other girl to worry unnecessarily. As she waited for Tara to pick up, she noticed that her heart had begun to beat faster.

"Hel... hello?"

"Tara?"

"Yes."

"It's me... Willow."

"Hi."

Willow could practically see the smile on Tara's face, which in turn made her smile. Maybe they had gone out on a date.

The End.


End file.
